A skosh, a wee bit, just a hair... sometimes, the distances we want to work with when sewing aren't quite as precise as the engraved inch and millimeter markings on our machines. Wouldn't it be great if there was a foot you could manually adjust to perfectly align with the exact distance you wanted? There is! The Janome Sliding Guide Foothas a perfectly balanced outboard guide you can smoothly slide to the right then lock into place, from ⅜" to 1⅛" from the center needle drop (10mm - 30mm). I love it when someone answers my "wouldn't-it-be-great" requests!

If you’re a Sew4Home regular, you know we are an exclusive Janome studio, which means we are lucky enough to use their amazing machines for all our projects. We’ve been Janome fans for YEARS (decades really) and have never found another line with better precision, power, innovation, and flexibility – from the top of the line all the way through to the introductory models.We’ve done a number of articles over the years on some of our favorite Janome presser feet, because using the right foot for the job is extremely important to the finished look of your project. Many people rarely change out their presser foot, often because they’re just not sure what to do with that bag o’ extra feet that came with their machine! Is that you?! Janome has tackled this “excuse” with a new Presser Foot Workbook series that gives you a working knowledge of their most popular feet – both standard and specialty and even the feet for the Cover Pro serger. Take a look at our overview, then visit your local Janome dealer for more information on how to build your own set.

Life can get a little sticky sometimes. In general, that statement covers a vast array of scenarios. But in the world of sewing, we’re usually talking about laminates, vinyls, faux leather, oil cloth, and the other sticky fabric substrates that look cool but can be challenging to sew. The surfaces of these specialty fabrics love to drag across your presser foot and/or needle plate, causing your stitching to bunch or break. Plus, with non-wovens, once you make a hole it’s there to stay. So the last thing you want are extra holes due to messed up seams. The Janome Ultra Glide Foot and its accompanying Needle Plate give you the ability to sew through your sticky situations like a hot knife through butter.

Going in circles doesn’t have to be a bad thing! In fact, when it comes to pretty stitching embellishments, the circle is always a winner. But… how on earth can you stitch in a truly perfect circle?! Even following a drawn line can lead to bumbles and bobbles. Our secret: the Janome Circular Sewing Attachment. It locks into position on the machine and works like a compass to sew a perfect circle every time. We’ve used it on some of our most popular projects, and although we do love it when you think we are just amazingly skilled and can do anything without even trying… we thought it was time to share our circle secret with a step-by-step tutorial that shows how easy it really is behind the scenes thanks to this cool tool.

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Set this pretty kitty on your sofa to keep watch over the rest of your pillows. The bold silhouette with its sweet dimensional bow is truly the Cat’s Meow. Our original design was created to show off the amazing appliqué capabilities of the Janome machines, which have amazingly precise stitch quality, from the top-of-the-line sewing and embroidery powerhouses to the entry level compacts. We’re an exclusive Janome studio at Sew4Home, and it’s one of the top reasons our finished samples turn out so beautifully. Your sewing machine is the tool at the center of the process; it better have your back! That means a machine you can rely on to do what it needs to do easily – without any unnecessary frustration on your part. When you’re confident in your machine’s performance, it frees you to concentrate on your creativity.

A fox, a squirrel, and a hedgehog walk into a kitchen. It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it’s actually the beginning of a great project featuring three custom embroidery designs. This is the seventh project in our S4H Maker’s Club, available exclusively at participating Janome Dealers across the US and Canada. From bags to baskets to linens and more, S4H Maker’s Club members are creating clever projects and learning pro techniques.

We’re always on the lookout for designer trends in retail shops, online, magazines, and more. It was during a recent search that we spotted a number of pillows with dense panels of decorative stitching, as well as many featuring embroidery accents and tassels. It was a style that had a bit of a boho feel but with a more elegant spin. Thanks to the power, precision, and flexibility of our Janome studio machines, we knew we could pull together all these trends into one fabulous pillow.

Tall and slim, this handsome messenger bag features a spot-on combination of navy, red, and white plaid flannel against a rich navy canvas. Casual and fun for everyday and anywhere you need to go, the bag works well for for either guys or gals. This is the sixth project in our S4H Maker’s Club, available exclusively at participating Janome Dealers across the US and Canada. With this latest custom design, Club members will learn how to create two types of straps, insert push locks, add piping, and get the lowdown on the professional details that can take your bag making skills to the next level. Read on to find out more about the project and how you may be able to join a Club in your area.

These boxed floor cushions, with their piping and tufting, are a home décor classic. But many otherwise hearty sewing enthusiasts shy away from attempting anything three-dimensional. That’s not you, right? Of course not! So let’s get ready to go 3D! This is the fifth project in our S4H Maker’s Club, available exclusively at participating Janome Dealers across the US and Canada. With this design, Club members will do some simple but very clever and pretty patchwork, learn how to create and attach piping, and put it all together into an expertly tufted box. Read on to find out more about the project and how you may be able to join a Club in your area.

Narrow tucks, called pintucks when they are super-duper narrow, are most often used in the world of heirloom sewing, but they can add a lovely bit of detail to many other types of projects. You can create this look quickly and easily with your Quarter Inch Seam foot. Tucks can be sewn in thread to match the fabric for a classic tone-on-tone look. Or, switch to a contrasting thread for extra detail along the stitch line. For even more embellishment, amp up the accent with decorative stitching between tucks or directly on top of each tuck.